1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a rechargeable battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery is a battery that can be recharged and discharged, unlike a primary battery that cannot be recharged. A low-capacity rechargeable battery may be used for small portable electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, a notebook computer, and a camcorder, and a large-capacity rechargeable battery may be used as a power supply for driving a motor of an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like, or as a large-capacity power storage device.
Recently, a high-output rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte solution of high energy density has been developed. The high-output rechargeable battery is configured as a large-capacity battery module in which a plurality of rechargeable batteries are connected to each other in series, such that the high-output rechargeable battery may be used to drive a motor of a device requiring a large amount of power, such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like. The rechargeable battery may have a cylindrical shape, a rectangular shape, or the like.
In the rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte solution, an abnormal current may be generated inside the rechargeable battery during a time that the charge and the discharge are repeated such that the rechargeable battery may explode.
Accordingly, to prevent the explosion of the rechargeable battery by the abnormal current, a positive electrode and a negative electrode may be shorted or a fuse unit including a fuse hole may be installed to a current collecting member electrically connecting the terminal and the electrode assembly to prevent or substantially prevent a flow of the current.
However, the fuse unit of the current collecting member including the fuse hole has a smaller cross-sectional area compared with other current collecting members without the fuse hole. Accordingly, a portion formed with the fuse unit of the current collecting member may be more easily damaged by an external impact.
Also, an arc may be generated at the fuse unit by a remaining current after the fuse unit is partially melted by the abnormal current.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.